The present invention relates generally to a hoof appliance for horses.
An unshod equine foot functions reasonably well in a domestic setting until the demands on the foot exceed its ability to respond to conditions. Horseshoes have been and continue to be a popular approach to remedy the problems created by bare feet and to render a horse useful for all of its intended purposes. Notwithstanding the long history of horseshoes and the ever-increasing body of farrier knowledge related to hoof preparation, horseshoe design and placement, lameness in modern horses is on the increase, and in some breeds and disciplines it has reached epidemic proportions. Undoubtedly, the increasing incidents of lameness have multiple causes, but a primary origin of the problem is the continuing failure of current farrier technology to provide hoof appliances that maintain distal phalanges alignment. It has also become clear from recent research that the traditional application of a horseshoe results in detrimental loss of contact of the hoof frog with the ground. This loss of contact becomes meaningful in light of recent equine foot biomechanics findings that have disclosed the heretofore unknown presence of proprioceptors in the frog buttress. A proprioceptor is one of a variety of sensory end organs in muscles, tendons, and joint capsules that provide mental perception, usually at a subconscious level, of the movements and position of a living being""s body and especially its limbs, independent of its vision. The absence of substantial ground contact of the frog results in the horse""s loss of the sense of balance provided by the contact of the proprioceptors in the frog with the ground.
Studies of the hooves of wild horses reveal the normal presence of a natural build up of non-sensitive frog material at the caudal portion of the frog buttress. This information, coupled with the finding of proprioceptors in the same anatomical area, suggests strongly that the build-up of material serves as a mechanism to assist the function of the proprioceptors in this region. Related biomechanics research attributes significant importance to the caudal frog build up in promoting heel first ground contact and the consequent maintenance of proper distal phalanges alignment.
Traditional horseshoes and prior art hoof pads have not only failed to take advantage of the findings of this recent research, their construction and usage is, in many ways, counterproductive. Accordingly, it is a specific object of the present invention to provide an equine hoof pad that encourages heel first ground contact in order to maintain healthy distal phalanges alignment. An equally important goal of the invention is to provide a hoof pad and horseshoe combination that eliminates the lost frog ground contact caused by the traditional application of horseshoes. An associated object of the invention is to elevate the response of the hoof proprioceptors in a horse. The realization of these objects and advantages also results in increased dissipation of hoof energy through the digital cushion and the lateral hoof cartilage by means of the frog""s increased contact with the ground.
The present invention relates generally to a hoof appliance for horses and more particularly to a balancing pad that mounts a horseshoe around a ground contacting forwardly sloping caudal projection. The caudal projection emulates and exaggerates the hoof frog and in so doing accomplishes two important objectives. The projection encourages heel first foot placement for maintenance of healthy phalanges alignment, including the navicular bone. Simultaneously the projection stimulates proprioceptive functions in the hoof to improve balance.
The balancing pad is shaped similar to the footprint of a horse""s hoof defining a curved toe portion and a substantially flat rear edge. The pad includes a flat upper hoof-contacting surface and a bottom horseshoe-mounting surface. Projecting from the bottom horseshoe mounting surface of the pad is an integral or attached pad protrusion having a sloping depth aspect that extends downwardly from the bottom horseshoe-mounting surface of the pad and a longitudinal aspect that extends from the pad""s rear edge forwardly and bi-laterally of the longitudinal centerline of the pad, to an apex, or other shaped forward edge, disposed generally in the center portion of the pad. The depth aspect of the projection diminishes from the rear edge portion of the projection to the forward edge thereof.
The pad is adapted to receive on its bottom surface a horseshoe formed of a narrow planer plate of material that is shaped to fit a horse""s hoof. Typically, the horseshoe has a curved toe portion and two rearwardly extending branch members terminating in first and second heels, each heel having a thickness aspect that is perpendicular to the plane of the horseshoe. The horseshoe is attached to the pad and to the hoof by horseshoe nails through the bottom horseshoe-mounting surface of the pad and into the rim of the hoof or by adhesives. The horseshoe is positioned with the first and second horseshoe heels disposed forwardly of the rear edge of the pad. Preferably, the pad contains appropriate markers to indicate proper heel placement.